Rutgers Football: 2011 Schedule Preview for the Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Football: 2011 Schedule Preview for the Scarlet Knights

According to Nationalchamps.net, the Scarlet Knights will play the following non-conference schedule in 2011: They will host North Carolina Central, University of Ohio and Navy, and will travel to North Carolina and play Army at Yankee Stadium.

They will play four of their seven Big East at home, hosting Cincinnati, Pitt, South Florida and West Virginia, while traveling to face Connecticut, Louisville, and Syracuse.

Game 2: Traveling To UNC, September 10, 2011

The Knights will have nine days to prepare for the ACC's and Butch Davis's UNC Tarheels. After beating them in 2006, the Scarlet Knights have fallen short against North Carolina twice at Rutgers Stadium, once in 2007, and in this past season.

The Tarheels have dealt with player suspensions and academic scandall under Butch Davis.

The Heels are aiming high in 2011, and at least one Tarheels' writer, J.P. Giglio of Newsobserver.com, says that neither Big East team (Louisville) should leave Kenan Stadium with a win.

Non-Conference Game: Vs. Navy, October 15th, 2011

In the gap of 21 days, the Knights figure to begin their Big East schedule, although it would be nice to have 21 days to prepare for Navy.

Navy is a true option team, one of a handful of teams still playing option-football in FBS football—Georgia Tech, Army and Air Force are the others.

Navy may be the worst possible non-conference opponent. If you beat them, "Great, you beat Navy," but a loss to Navy is, "You lost? To Navy???" That's the inherent problem with perception versus reality.

A true fan of college football knows that Navy is a very solid FBS program, but that doesn't help national perception when you are trying to get Rutgers back to the level the school had attained in 2006.

Non-Conference Game 5: November 12th, 2011: Army at Yankee Stadium

Less than a month after the Yankees wrap up their season, the Knights will play a football game at Yankee Stadium against Army.

The Black Knights play option football, and are an improved program. Rutgers experience playing Navy by this point of the season ought to help them prepare for what is a slower, and less-developed option attack.

Army is however, coming off their first bowl win of the 21st century, an Armed Forces Bowl win over SMU. The game marked the first bowl appearance for Army since 1996.

Big East Schedule: Home Slate: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, South Florida and WVU

Cincinnati: After beating Cincinnati in 2005, the Knights have lost five straight times against the Bearcats. Although both programs were down in 2010, both programs missed bowls, the Bearcats embarrassed the Knights scoring 69 points in a victory over RU.

Pittsburgh: After the Knights had beaten Pitt three times in a row, the Panthers have won two straight against the Scarlet Knights. However, the Panthers forced head coach Dave Wannstedt to resign, and Rutgers poached both top recruits and coaches from the Pittsburgh program.

This should be an interesting one for RU.

South Florida: The Knights lost a tough game by just one point in Tampa last season, 28-27.

West Virginia: Will this be the first time the Knights beat WVU since 1994? This may be the year to do it.

WVU continues to go away from its spread attack that made the program's success in the early to mid 2000s. Bill Stewart (pictured) is as lame-duck a coach as possible with his successor already hired, named, and on-staff.